Monday, 29 April 2013

Many years ago I worked in the city of Melbourne, I had just got off the train & was waiting to cross the road, It was winter,pouring rain & freezing cold, (I had a fur coat on that I had only just bought at a sale,)when I spotted a little girl & her mother, both had light dresses on & were sopping wet, I couldn't help myself, I took off the coat & gave it to the mother, she started crying & thanking me as she put it on & bundled her little girl inside the coat. I cried all the way to work thinking how lucky I was to be able to at least help out a little bit.

Friday, 26 April 2013

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

One day, the entire city got nearly 3 feet of snow. Around 2PM before
i set off to work, I decided to shovel my driveway along with my
neighbours. I chose to do their driveway first cause it seemed like a
harder task. After 1 hour of shovelling, I finished their driveway.
Right as I was about to start mine, I got a call from my boss asking me
if I can come to work earlier because many people called-in sick. I
said OK and I walked to work with my driveway undone. After I got back
from work, I asked my dad if he finished the driveway himself, to which
he responded "The neighbours did it".http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-stories/1545-boomerang-effect

Sunday, 14 April 2013

A friend of mine gave a talk in church today that was so so good. I wish I could put the whole thing on this blog but in the meantime have found a snippet she shared from a conference talk that I really loved.

"Several
years ago, I had the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon. I had
trained hard and felt I was prepared, but at mile 20 there are hills.
The locals call the steepest and longest hill Heartbreak Hill. When I
reached that point, I was physically spent. The hill was long, and
because I was a novice, I allowed myself to do something no seasoned
runner ever does—I started to think negatively. This slowed my pace, so I
tried to think positively and visualize the finish line. But as I did
this, I suddenly realized that I was in a big city, there were thousands
of people lining the route, and I had not made any arrangements to
locate my husband at the end of the marathon. I felt lost and alone, and
I started to cry. I was wearing a big red T-shirt with the word Utah
printed on the front in big block letters. As the spectators saw that I
was crying, they would yell, “Keep going, Utah.” “Don’t cry, Utah.”
“You’re almost finished, Utah.” But I knew I wasn’t, and I was lost. I
also knew that even if I stopped running and dropped out of the race, I
would still be lost.

Do
any of you ever feel like you’re running up Heartbreak Hill and that
even though there are people lining the route, you are alone? That’s how
I felt. So I did what every one of you would do—I began to pray right
there on that marathon route. I told Heavenly Father that I was alone
and that I was on a hill. I told Him that I was discouraged and afraid
and that I felt lost. I asked for help and strength to be steadfast and
to finish the race. As I continued to run, these words came into my
mind:

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

That
sweet answer to my prayer gave me the strength to continue on until I
crossed the finish line. And despite my fears, my husband was right
there and all was well.

That
day I experienced more than a marathon. I learned some important
lessons. First of all, never wear a big red shirt with the word Utah
printed on it. Second, I learned that no matter how well prepared you
think you are, there are hills on the course. I learned that people
cheering for you along the way are absolutely essential. I learned again
that day that we are never alone."

-Elaine Dalton, Conference Talk, April 2008

This made me think about the people in my life that I could be a better cheerleader for. So for anyone reading this blog and thinking about giving up or quitting something that is important I'm sayin' to you: Keep going Utah! (or wherever you're from) Don't cry Utah! You're almost finished, Utah! Maybe I'm sayin' that to me too.

Thursday, 11 April 2013

This is so worth watching - warms my heart and makes me think of one of my best friends who loves to write love letters to those she loves. I think we all have special gifts that we can use to reach out to others. I guess right now I'm trying to find my thing after about two years of not really wanting to reach out to anyone. this video has definitely inspired me.

Monday, 8 April 2013

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway."

Saturday, 6 April 2013

The past two years of my life have been pretty crazy. I went through a worse than difficult pregnancy, I was sleep deprived for a good 8 months after the birth and my older two boys have the energy and power of hurricanes. There have been mornings in the not so distant past that I have woken up yelling. Yeah, not in a great place. I was living in survival mode. But now, I'm feeling so much better, I'm sleeping through the night and I've figured out tricks to calm and manage hurricane season. Now, I think it's time to consider living like a human being again, you know looking a little bit more outward than inward if I can. I was just watching a CBC program about how we in Canada (it also included the US and the UK) seem to have ditched some common decency - manners, courtesy and respect. The program highlighted a movement in the UK called Join Me. The movement encourages random acts of kindness and some people who have joined have committed to doing more things like buying a hungry looking stranger a sandwich, or giving a ten dollar bouquet of flowers to someone hanging out in the park. And now that I'm not in that self-centered living that new mothering brings, I thought maybe I should try some little efforts myself. I started today and ACTUALLY e-mailed someone back who had thanked guests in a group e-mail for coming to her son's birthday party. I wrote to her that Oliver had a blast and that he said it was the best birthday party he had ever been to. If I were her I would really love an e-mail like the one sent.....I almost didn't send it, that's how lazy I am. But I'm ok with baby steps. Don't judge, just love.